Budget Battles
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Coronavirus Talks: 'Light at the End of the Tunnel, but How Long That Tunnel Is Remains to Be Seen'
Wednesday’s talks on a coronavirus relief package produced progress, but no major breakthroughs. The state of the talks: Entering Wednesday’s negotiations, the two sides were still far apart on a...
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The Dead May Get Relief Payments After All
By Michael RaineyIt looks like being dead may not get in the way of receiving another stimulus check, after all. We told you in June that, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, the Trump...
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Fiscal Policy Cushioned the Shutdown: Report
By Michael RaineyTaxing and spending policies provided a huge boost to the economy during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the newly updated Hutchins Center Fiscal Impact Measure (FIM)...
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Enhanced Unemployment Benefits Get a Thumbs Up From Economists
By Michael RaineySome Republican lawmakers insist that the generous unemployment benefits created by the CARES Act – now expired and subject to debate in the ongoing negotiations over the next coronavirus relief bill...
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Trump Wants U.S. Treasury to Get a Cut of Any TikTok Sale
President Trump said Monday that he would allow an American company to acquire the video app TikTok, but that any deal would have to include a "substantial amount of money" going to the U.S. Treasury...
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No Deal in Sight, but Faint Signs of Progress in Coronavirus Relief Talks
Negotiations on the next round of coronavirus relief continued Tuesday afternoon, and Democratic leaders emerged sounding more positive on the state of the talks. "They made some concessions, which...
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Trump Extends National Guard Deployment to Fight Coronavirus, but Reduces Funding
By Michael RaineyResponding to requests from numerous governors, President Donald Trump has extended the federal deployment of the National Guard to help states respond to the coronavirus. However, as part of the...
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With Congress at a Stalemate, Trump Eyes Executive Orders on Coronavirus Relief
Negotiators emerged from about two hours of talks Monday on the next coronavirus relief package calling their discussions productive but sounding like a deal remains a long way away. “It was...
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CEOs Call for More Federal Aid for Small Business
By Michael RaineyDozens of corporate leaders led by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz are pleading with Congress to provide more support for America’s small businesses. In a letter to top lawmakers Monday, Schultz and...
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Fed Official: US Should Shut Down for a Few Weeks, Ramp Up Relief Spending
By Michael RaineyThe president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank said Sunday that the U.S. should “lock down really hard” for a few weeks in order to get control of the coronavirus and create the conditions for...
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Democrats Pass $1.3 Trillion Spending Package for 2021
By Michael RaineyThe House on Friday passed a massive $1.3 trillion spending package that includes $210 billion in emergency funding for the government’s response to the coronavirus. The pandemic-specific funding...
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US Makes $2.1 Billion Deal for Vaccine
By Michael RaineyThe federal government has agreed to pay two major pharmaceutical companies up to $2.1 billion for testing, manufacturing and the purchase of 100 million doses of an as-yet unfinished vaccine for...
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Dems Find Trump Admin ‘Squandered’ Up to $500 Million in Buying Ventilators
A report by a panel of the House Oversight Committee raises serious questions about the roughly $3 billion in taxpayer money spent by the Trump administration as it scrambled to acquire ventilators,...
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Coronavirus Relief Bill Talks: Over the Cliff
Negotiations on another coronavirus relief package continue to involve more finger-pointing than progress, with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday each...
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An Unprecedented Collapse for the U.S. Economy
By Michael RaineyThe U.S. economy in the second quarter shrank at the fastest pace on record by some measures, with gross domestic product falling by 9.5% on a quarterly basis as businesses closed and millions of...